In the last throw of the dice in the transfer market- after the loan transfer window closed- Torquay United manager Chris Hargreaves has added Spurs youngster Shaquile Coulthirst in a loan deal which runs until the end of the season.
Coulthirst, 19, has already tasted league football this year in a brief loan spell with Leyton Orient- in which he made two appearances and found the back of the net in the O's 4-0 home win over Carlisle United on January 11th.
He also featured in Tottenham's recent Europa League campaign when he came on as a substitute for Roberto Soldado in their 4-1 win over Russian side Anzhi with 12 minutes to go.
A highly rated prospect, Coulthirst scored 19 goals in 29 games for Spurs' youth sides last season- including a hat-trick against Barcelona's young hopefuls in the Next Gen Series tournament, a competition that pits the youth sides from the top clubs across Europe against each other.
He has also been capped by England at youth level.
In recent seasons, Spurs have loaned a number of young prospects, including young full-back Adam Smith, now of Bournemouth, who impressed during a loan spell at Plainmoor during the 2009-10 season.
Smith later went on to appear for England's Under-21 side, whilst a couple other of his contemporaries who also benefited from similar loan spells- Steven Caulker and Andros Townsend- have go on to represent the England senior team.
If Coulthirst can score the vital goals that could keep the Gulls in the Football League, he goes straight into their squad to face Southend tomorrow as a direct replacement for the departing Enoch Showumni who has joined Plymouth Argyle, then there is an excellent chance that he could go on to follow their footsteps.
Friday 28 March 2014
Wednesday 26 March 2014
GRECIANS COMPLETE DERBY DOUBLE OVER PILGRIMS
The Devon derby bragging rights firmly belong to Exeter City as they completed their first league double over local arch-rivals Plymouth Argyle for the first time in over 20 years.
Reuben Reid had given the Pilgrims the lead on the stroke of half-time- just as Jason Banton had done a year earlier- when he converted from the spot to score his 20th of the season, and became the first Argyle striker to score 20 goals in a season since Tommy Tynan in the process.
Despite this setback, the Grecians rallied and Liam Sercombe equalised with a deflected effort on 69 minutes before Elliot Richards scored the winner on 83 minutes with his third goal in two games- following good work from Tom Nichols- as City recorded their first league double over the Pilgrims since the 1992-93 season.
A year ago, Plymouth Argyle had boosted their survival hopes at the expense of Exeter City's Play-Off ambitions by completing a Devon derby win over the Pilgrims at Home Park.
However, 12 months later- the Grecians inflicted the opposite on the Pilgrims as they came from behind to beat Argyle to move seven points clear of the drop zone, whilst the Pilgrims remain three points off the Play-Off zone.
Reuben Reid had given the Pilgrims the lead on the stroke of half-time- just as Jason Banton had done a year earlier- when he converted from the spot to score his 20th of the season, and became the first Argyle striker to score 20 goals in a season since Tommy Tynan in the process.
Despite this setback, the Grecians rallied and Liam Sercombe equalised with a deflected effort on 69 minutes before Elliot Richards scored the winner on 83 minutes with his third goal in two games- following good work from Tom Nichols- as City recorded their first league double over the Pilgrims since the 1992-93 season.
A year ago, Plymouth Argyle had boosted their survival hopes at the expense of Exeter City's Play-Off ambitions by completing a Devon derby win over the Pilgrims at Home Park.
However, 12 months later- the Grecians inflicted the opposite on the Pilgrims as they came from behind to beat Argyle to move seven points clear of the drop zone, whilst the Pilgrims remain three points off the Play-Off zone.
Monday 24 March 2014
ARGYLE VS CITY- A WESTCOUNTRY STORY
Almost a year has passed since Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City met in the 60th league meeting between the two sides in a game that promised to decide the outcome of the season for both teams.
A Jason Banton goal on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference between the sides as Argyle, who were fighting relegation at the time, went on to win and boost their chances of staying in the league and dented the Grecians' Play-Off ambitions in the process.
However, fast forward nearly 12 months later and it is the Pilgrims- who have made considerable progress under the management of John Sheridan- who have ambitions of being involved in the Play-Offs, whilst City desperately need three points to retain their status as a League Two club.
In his post-match press conference after their 1-0 victory over the Grecians in March last year, Sheridan admitted that he was jealous of players and stated that he would have loved to been playing in the match himself.
When a manager shows that level of passion, it surely must rub off on his players.
Also for Sheridan, a place in the Play-Offs would give him a shot at winning a second promotion as a manager to go with the League Two title triumph he enjoyed with Chesterfield in the 2010-11 season.
Due of the number of managerial changes in the past year, Grecians boss Paul Tisdale is now the second longest serving manager of the 92 managers currently employed in the Premiership and the Football League behind Arsene Wenger.
Since taking charge of the Grecians, Tisdale has faced three Argyle managers (Peter Reid, Carl Fletcher and Sheridan) and will be facing his fourth Torquay United boss when Chris Hargreaves brings his Gulls side to Plainmoor on Easter Monday.
And the possibility of completing a league double over both of their Devon rivals is still a realistic prospect for the Grecians after having recorded wins over both the Pilgrims and the Gulls in their previous encounters this season.
A Jason Banton goal on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference between the sides as Argyle, who were fighting relegation at the time, went on to win and boost their chances of staying in the league and dented the Grecians' Play-Off ambitions in the process.
However, fast forward nearly 12 months later and it is the Pilgrims- who have made considerable progress under the management of John Sheridan- who have ambitions of being involved in the Play-Offs, whilst City desperately need three points to retain their status as a League Two club.
In his post-match press conference after their 1-0 victory over the Grecians in March last year, Sheridan admitted that he was jealous of players and stated that he would have loved to been playing in the match himself.
When a manager shows that level of passion, it surely must rub off on his players.
Also for Sheridan, a place in the Play-Offs would give him a shot at winning a second promotion as a manager to go with the League Two title triumph he enjoyed with Chesterfield in the 2010-11 season.
Due of the number of managerial changes in the past year, Grecians boss Paul Tisdale is now the second longest serving manager of the 92 managers currently employed in the Premiership and the Football League behind Arsene Wenger.
Since taking charge of the Grecians, Tisdale has faced three Argyle managers (Peter Reid, Carl Fletcher and Sheridan) and will be facing his fourth Torquay United boss when Chris Hargreaves brings his Gulls side to Plainmoor on Easter Monday.
And the possibility of completing a league double over both of their Devon rivals is still a realistic prospect for the Grecians after having recorded wins over both the Pilgrims and the Gulls in their previous encounters this season.
Thursday 20 March 2014
JASON AND A RECORD BREAKING RUN
Following Jason Roberts recent retirement from professional football, we will now take a look back at his loan spell early in his career at Torquay United where he received his first taste of league football.
With three uncles who had played professional football and another uncle who had been an Olympic sprinter, Jason Roberts had a lot to live up to when he arrived on loan at Torquay United in December 1997.
His uncles included the former West Bromwich Albion and England striker Cyrille Regis, ex Notts County striker Dave Regis and Otis Roberts, who briefly played for Crystal Palace, as well as former British 200 metres record holder John Regis.
So to say that sport was in his blood was something of an understatement.
A number of professional clubs showed an interest in him as a youngster in his native London, but it was with non-league side Hayes- the club which helped to launch the careers of his uncle Cyrille and Les Ferdinand- where Jason would make his name before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997 for a fee of £250,000.
However, it was during a 14-match loan spell at Plainmoor where he would get his first taste of league football.
At the time of his arrival in south Devon, the Gulls- then under the management of Kevin Hodges- were in mid-table in the Third Division with a team assembled on a minimal budget.
Hodges had made some astute signings during the summer, but his side still lacked some extra firepower to push for a top seven finish.
After making his debut from the subs bench against Notts County on December 20th 1997, Jason marked his first start for Torquay with a goal in their 2-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day.
He also found the back of the net in the next home match- a 2-0 win over Macclesfield Town- but their next fixture at Plainmoor would prove to be the start of something.
The Gulls defeated Shrewsbury Town 3-0 with Jason adding a third in the second half after Andy Gurney and Jon Gittens had found the target in the first half.
This proved to be the start of a club record eight-match winning streak, which propelled Torquay up to second in the table and earned Hodges the Third Division manager of the month award for February 1998.
Jason' made a valuable contribution during this run, scoring a brace in their 4-1 victory against Brighton at Priestfield Stadium- on February 7th- Brighton were ground sharing with Gillingham at the time- and also scored in the Gulls' 3-1 win at Chester a fortnight later.
His partnership with the mercurial Rodney Jack proved to be one of the most feared in the divison.
His final match in a Torquay shirt came on March 5th- a 1-0 win over Cardiff City secured by a Kevin Hill effort on the stroke of half-time, which also proved to the eighth match of the sequence- as he returned to Wolves, only to be loaned out to Bristol City.
The Gulls went on reach the Play-Offs, after missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the campaign against Leyton Orient, where they beat Scarborough 7-2 over two legs in the semi-finals, with Jason an interested spectator, before losing 1-0 to Colchester United in the final at Wembley.
In the following summer, Jason joined Bristol Rovers for a fee of £250,000 before going to play for West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic- for whom he appeared in the 2006 Carling Cup final, Blackburn Rovers and Reading and also earned an MBE for his charity work away from the game.
In addition to this, he also won ten caps for Grenada, whom he qualified to play for through his father, and made several of those alongside one of his former teammates at Plainmoor, Tony Bedeau.
With three uncles who had played professional football and another uncle who had been an Olympic sprinter, Jason Roberts had a lot to live up to when he arrived on loan at Torquay United in December 1997.
His uncles included the former West Bromwich Albion and England striker Cyrille Regis, ex Notts County striker Dave Regis and Otis Roberts, who briefly played for Crystal Palace, as well as former British 200 metres record holder John Regis.
So to say that sport was in his blood was something of an understatement.
A number of professional clubs showed an interest in him as a youngster in his native London, but it was with non-league side Hayes- the club which helped to launch the careers of his uncle Cyrille and Les Ferdinand- where Jason would make his name before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997 for a fee of £250,000.
However, it was during a 14-match loan spell at Plainmoor where he would get his first taste of league football.
At the time of his arrival in south Devon, the Gulls- then under the management of Kevin Hodges- were in mid-table in the Third Division with a team assembled on a minimal budget.
Hodges had made some astute signings during the summer, but his side still lacked some extra firepower to push for a top seven finish.
After making his debut from the subs bench against Notts County on December 20th 1997, Jason marked his first start for Torquay with a goal in their 2-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day.
He also found the back of the net in the next home match- a 2-0 win over Macclesfield Town- but their next fixture at Plainmoor would prove to be the start of something.
The Gulls defeated Shrewsbury Town 3-0 with Jason adding a third in the second half after Andy Gurney and Jon Gittens had found the target in the first half.
This proved to be the start of a club record eight-match winning streak, which propelled Torquay up to second in the table and earned Hodges the Third Division manager of the month award for February 1998.
Jason' made a valuable contribution during this run, scoring a brace in their 4-1 victory against Brighton at Priestfield Stadium- on February 7th- Brighton were ground sharing with Gillingham at the time- and also scored in the Gulls' 3-1 win at Chester a fortnight later.
His partnership with the mercurial Rodney Jack proved to be one of the most feared in the divison.
His final match in a Torquay shirt came on March 5th- a 1-0 win over Cardiff City secured by a Kevin Hill effort on the stroke of half-time, which also proved to the eighth match of the sequence- as he returned to Wolves, only to be loaned out to Bristol City.
The Gulls went on reach the Play-Offs, after missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the campaign against Leyton Orient, where they beat Scarborough 7-2 over two legs in the semi-finals, with Jason an interested spectator, before losing 1-0 to Colchester United in the final at Wembley.
In the following summer, Jason joined Bristol Rovers for a fee of £250,000 before going to play for West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic- for whom he appeared in the 2006 Carling Cup final, Blackburn Rovers and Reading and also earned an MBE for his charity work away from the game.
In addition to this, he also won ten caps for Grenada, whom he qualified to play for through his father, and made several of those alongside one of his former teammates at Plainmoor, Tony Bedeau.
Wednesday 19 March 2014
PILGRIMS PROGRESS INTO PLAY-OFFS
A brace from Reuben Reid against manager John Sheridan's former club Chesterfield lifted Plymouth Argyle into the Play-Off zone for the first time this season.
Reid- currently on loan at Home Park from Yeovil Town- struck with a goal in each half for the Pilgrims, whilst Ritchie Humphreys- the current PFA Chairman, who also made his league debut for Sheffield Wednesday alongside Argyle boss Sheridan- replied for the Spireites.
Should the Pilgrims make the top seven come the end of the season, it will be the first time that they have been involved in the Play-Offs since 1996 when they made an immediate return from Division Three under Neil Warnock after beating Darlington at Wembley.
Also Reid is now just two goals away from becoming the first Argyle striker to score 20 goals or more in a season since Tommy Tynan in the 1988-89 campaign.
Reid- currently on loan at Home Park from Yeovil Town- struck with a goal in each half for the Pilgrims, whilst Ritchie Humphreys- the current PFA Chairman, who also made his league debut for Sheffield Wednesday alongside Argyle boss Sheridan- replied for the Spireites.
Should the Pilgrims make the top seven come the end of the season, it will be the first time that they have been involved in the Play-Offs since 1996 when they made an immediate return from Division Three under Neil Warnock after beating Darlington at Wembley.
Also Reid is now just two goals away from becoming the first Argyle striker to score 20 goals or more in a season since Tommy Tynan in the 1988-89 campaign.
SUPER SUB YEOMAN NETS LATE GULLS WINNER
It was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man for Torquay United as substitute Ashley Yeoman netted the winning goal in their relegation battle with Bury in injury time.
Captain Lee Mansell had given the Gulls the lead when he headed home a Dale Tonge cross on eight minutes, with his first goal since New Year's Day 2013, but Clive Platt levelled for the Shakers on 66 minutes.
Torquay almost regained the lead a minute later when Aussie defender Aaron Downes headed a Danny Stevens corner narrowly over.
However, inside the first minute of four extra added on minutes for injury time, Yeoman- who has spent most of the current campaign on loan at Bideford and Dorchester- pounced from eight yards to score the decisive goal that leaves the Gulls five points from safety.
It was Yeoman's first appearance since he returned from his most recent loan spell with Dorchester, and he picked the perfect opportunity to score what was his first goal for Torquay of the current campaign.
The win is a welcome boost for Chris Hargreaves' side- following the announcement that Joss Labadie won't be appealing against his ten-match ban for biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks- and if they can secure another three points again Newport County on Saturday, then things will become very interesting at the bottom of the League Two table.
Captain Lee Mansell had given the Gulls the lead when he headed home a Dale Tonge cross on eight minutes, with his first goal since New Year's Day 2013, but Clive Platt levelled for the Shakers on 66 minutes.
Torquay almost regained the lead a minute later when Aussie defender Aaron Downes headed a Danny Stevens corner narrowly over.
However, inside the first minute of four extra added on minutes for injury time, Yeoman- who has spent most of the current campaign on loan at Bideford and Dorchester- pounced from eight yards to score the decisive goal that leaves the Gulls five points from safety.
It was Yeoman's first appearance since he returned from his most recent loan spell with Dorchester, and he picked the perfect opportunity to score what was his first goal for Torquay of the current campaign.
The win is a welcome boost for Chris Hargreaves' side- following the announcement that Joss Labadie won't be appealing against his ten-match ban for biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks- and if they can secure another three points again Newport County on Saturday, then things will become very interesting at the bottom of the League Two table.
Sunday 16 March 2014
A DEFINING WEEK
The outcome of this week's matches involving Torquay United and Exeter City could go a long way to deciding whether the number of football league teams in Devon drops from three to two, or potentially even one.
Chris Hargreaves' Torquay side host Bury on Tuesday night, a match which sees former Gulls' assistant manager Chris Brass return to Plainmoor, before facing Newport County at Plainmoor on Saturday.
A return of six points from these two homes fixtures would move the Gulls, who lost to Cheltenham on Saturday, up to 39 points, which would- depending on results elsewhere- place them within two or three points of the safety mark.
However, before any match action takes place Torquay have until midday on Monday whether to appeal against Joss Labadie's ten-match ban handed to him by the Football Association for biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks during their League Two encounter with the Spireites.
Exeter City- fresh from securing a point in a 1-1 draw with Newport today- will host Fleetwood Town and are desperately in search of their first win at St James Park since October 5th when they beat arch rivals Plymouth Argyle 3-1.
A week before that result, the Grecians won 2-1 away at the Cod Army with emergency striker Scott Bennett netting both goals.
The Pilgrims could do both United and City a big favour if they were to defeat Accrington Stanley, who are one of three teams- including the Grecians, currently locked on 41 points near the foot of the table.
Chris Hargreaves' Torquay side host Bury on Tuesday night, a match which sees former Gulls' assistant manager Chris Brass return to Plainmoor, before facing Newport County at Plainmoor on Saturday.
A return of six points from these two homes fixtures would move the Gulls, who lost to Cheltenham on Saturday, up to 39 points, which would- depending on results elsewhere- place them within two or three points of the safety mark.
However, before any match action takes place Torquay have until midday on Monday whether to appeal against Joss Labadie's ten-match ban handed to him by the Football Association for biting Chesterfield's Ollie Banks during their League Two encounter with the Spireites.
Exeter City- fresh from securing a point in a 1-1 draw with Newport today- will host Fleetwood Town and are desperately in search of their first win at St James Park since October 5th when they beat arch rivals Plymouth Argyle 3-1.
A week before that result, the Grecians won 2-1 away at the Cod Army with emergency striker Scott Bennett netting both goals.
The Pilgrims could do both United and City a big favour if they were to defeat Accrington Stanley, who are one of three teams- including the Grecians, currently locked on 41 points near the foot of the table.
Wednesday 12 March 2014
LABADIE CHARGED
Torquay United midfielder Joss Labadie has received a ten-match ban and a fine of £2,000 from the FA found him guilty of biting an opponent during the Gulls' league clash with Chesterfield last month.
Labadie, 23, who scored the winner for Torquay in their recent 2-1 win over Rochdale- ironically one of Chesterfield's main promotion rivals- which boosts the Gulls' chances of beating the drop was issued the punishment, which will see him miss the same number of matches that Luis Suarez did when he bit Branislav Ivanovic when Liverpool played Chelsea last season.
The former Notts County midfielder was alleged to have bitten Spireites' striker Ollie Banks during the clash between the Gulls and Chesterfield on February 15th, and the accusations first emerged when Banks posted pictures on Twitter of what he claimed to be bite marks.
Spireites manager Paul Cook later claimed that Chesterfield's French striker Armand Gnanduillet had been bitten at the club's AGM a few days later.
However, Chesterfield did not make an official complaint at the time nor did match referee Carl Boyeson take any action over the alleged incident.
Nevertheless, if it can be successfully proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Banks' wound was indeed a bite mark then it is only right that the punishment should be upheld.
Torquay have until midday on Monday 17th March to appeal against the decision, which could potentially see Labadie absent for the remainder of the season.
Labadie, 23, who scored the winner for Torquay in their recent 2-1 win over Rochdale- ironically one of Chesterfield's main promotion rivals- which boosts the Gulls' chances of beating the drop was issued the punishment, which will see him miss the same number of matches that Luis Suarez did when he bit Branislav Ivanovic when Liverpool played Chelsea last season.
The former Notts County midfielder was alleged to have bitten Spireites' striker Ollie Banks during the clash between the Gulls and Chesterfield on February 15th, and the accusations first emerged when Banks posted pictures on Twitter of what he claimed to be bite marks.
Spireites manager Paul Cook later claimed that Chesterfield's French striker Armand Gnanduillet had been bitten at the club's AGM a few days later.
However, Chesterfield did not make an official complaint at the time nor did match referee Carl Boyeson take any action over the alleged incident.
Nevertheless, if it can be successfully proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Banks' wound was indeed a bite mark then it is only right that the punishment should be upheld.
Torquay have until midday on Monday 17th March to appeal against the decision, which could potentially see Labadie absent for the remainder of the season.
Sunday 9 March 2014
MILLER DOUBLE SEES GLOVERS TWO POINTS OFF SAFETY MARK
Ishmael Miller marked his return to the Yeovil Town by scoring twice as the Glovers defeated Sheffield Wednesday to move within two points of the Championship safety mark.
The Nottingham Forest loanee struck with a goal in each half to complete a brace, after recovering from injury, to secure a two goal victory for the Glovers against the Owls.
As a result of the win, Yeovil are now in 22nd place in the Championship and two points behind 21st placed Millwall with a game in hand.
Survival in the Championship would represent a huge achievement for Glovers' manager Gary Johnson, but there is still a lot of football to be played.
However, if Yeovil can show the kind of quality and resolve they showed against Wednesday, and in the week before against Reading when they drew 1-1 despite being reduced to eight men following the dismissals of Joe Ralls, Byron Webster and Kieffer Moore.
Another factor that has given the Glovers a chance of competing with some of their division's bigger spenders- it was revealed this week that their Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers spent more on wages last season than UEFA Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.
In a weekend in which former Yeovil loanee Steven Caulker netted twice for Cardiff City against Fulham, two of their current crop of temporary signings played a starring role at Huish Park.
Miller, who has extended his loan from the City Ground until the end of the campaign, scored what proved to be a crucial double for the Glovers, and Irish central defender Shane Duffy produced a solid display in the heart of the Yeovil defence, which would surely have impressed the onlooking Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill who was observing his display at Huish Park.
The Nottingham Forest loanee struck with a goal in each half to complete a brace, after recovering from injury, to secure a two goal victory for the Glovers against the Owls.
As a result of the win, Yeovil are now in 22nd place in the Championship and two points behind 21st placed Millwall with a game in hand.
Survival in the Championship would represent a huge achievement for Glovers' manager Gary Johnson, but there is still a lot of football to be played.
However, if Yeovil can show the kind of quality and resolve they showed against Wednesday, and in the week before against Reading when they drew 1-1 despite being reduced to eight men following the dismissals of Joe Ralls, Byron Webster and Kieffer Moore.
Another factor that has given the Glovers a chance of competing with some of their division's bigger spenders- it was revealed this week that their Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers spent more on wages last season than UEFA Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.
In a weekend in which former Yeovil loanee Steven Caulker netted twice for Cardiff City against Fulham, two of their current crop of temporary signings played a starring role at Huish Park.
Miller, who has extended his loan from the City Ground until the end of the campaign, scored what proved to be a crucial double for the Glovers, and Irish central defender Shane Duffy produced a solid display in the heart of the Yeovil defence, which would surely have impressed the onlooking Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill who was observing his display at Huish Park.
Wednesday 5 March 2014
ALL SIGNS POINT TO A RED AND WHITE FUTURE
Exeter City's run in the Under-21 Premier Cup might have come to an end against Burnley, but the young Grecians did themselves proud against the Clarets.
It took the addition of 30 extra minutes for their Championship opponents to finally see off the young Grecians; the score was 2-2 after 90 minutes as Jimmy Keohane and Tom Nichols cancelled out Archie Love's brace for the Clarets, but a strike from Nathan Lowe early in extra time broke Exeter's hearts- but they take a lot of positives from their progress.
After defeating neighbours Torquay United in the opening round, the Grecians then went on a giant-killing spree as Premiership sides Crystal Palace and Southampton were duly dispatched in the next two stages before they saw off Blackburn Rovers in the last 16 to set up a Quarter Final meeting with Burnley.
The Grecians' line-up on the night of their last eight clash with the Clarets included ten players who have tasted first-team football under Paul Tisdale this season, and to date they have also made 149 appearances between them.
Both Tisdale and Director of Football, Steve Perryman, were watching from the stands and would surely have been impressed with what they saw on display.
Also the experience of reaching the latter stages of a competition such as the Premier Cup will prove to be crucial in helping to aid the development of these young players.
It could well prove in time to be a case of the future being bright, but red and white.
It took the addition of 30 extra minutes for their Championship opponents to finally see off the young Grecians; the score was 2-2 after 90 minutes as Jimmy Keohane and Tom Nichols cancelled out Archie Love's brace for the Clarets, but a strike from Nathan Lowe early in extra time broke Exeter's hearts- but they take a lot of positives from their progress.
After defeating neighbours Torquay United in the opening round, the Grecians then went on a giant-killing spree as Premiership sides Crystal Palace and Southampton were duly dispatched in the next two stages before they saw off Blackburn Rovers in the last 16 to set up a Quarter Final meeting with Burnley.
The Grecians' line-up on the night of their last eight clash with the Clarets included ten players who have tasted first-team football under Paul Tisdale this season, and to date they have also made 149 appearances between them.
Both Tisdale and Director of Football, Steve Perryman, were watching from the stands and would surely have been impressed with what they saw on display.
Also the experience of reaching the latter stages of a competition such as the Premier Cup will prove to be crucial in helping to aid the development of these young players.
It could well prove in time to be a case of the future being bright, but red and white.
Saturday 1 March 2014
ALESSANDRA THE GREAT
Plymouth Argyle striker Lewis Alessandra netted twice against his former club Morecambe to help the Pilgrims produce a five-star display to move within two points of the Play-Off zone.
Durrell Berry opened the scoring with his first ever goal for the club on five minutes before Alessandra found the target in the 40th minute to double their advantage.
In the second half, Curtis Nelson and Andres Gurrieri also found the target to increase Argyle's lead to four before Alessandra struck in the 90th minute- with this 11th goal of the season- to round off an impressive display for the Pilgrims.
Argyle have now scored nine goals without reply in their last two fixtures- they came away from Play-Off chasing Fleetwood Town 4-0 on Tuesday night- and are now two points off the Play-Off zone. The Pilgrims, in eighth place, have 48 points whilst Southend United-in seventh- have 50 points.
Alessandra's contribution in their win over Morecambe takes the total number of goals scored by him and his strike partner, Reuben Reid, up to 27 in all competitions, which is 20 behind the total scored by Paul Mariner and Billy Rafferty in the 1974-75 season.
Also, if either player manages to hit the magical 20 goal mark for the season then they will be the first Argyle player to do so since Tommy Tynan did so in the 1988-89 campaign.
Durrell Berry opened the scoring with his first ever goal for the club on five minutes before Alessandra found the target in the 40th minute to double their advantage.
In the second half, Curtis Nelson and Andres Gurrieri also found the target to increase Argyle's lead to four before Alessandra struck in the 90th minute- with this 11th goal of the season- to round off an impressive display for the Pilgrims.
Argyle have now scored nine goals without reply in their last two fixtures- they came away from Play-Off chasing Fleetwood Town 4-0 on Tuesday night- and are now two points off the Play-Off zone. The Pilgrims, in eighth place, have 48 points whilst Southend United-in seventh- have 50 points.
Alessandra's contribution in their win over Morecambe takes the total number of goals scored by him and his strike partner, Reuben Reid, up to 27 in all competitions, which is 20 behind the total scored by Paul Mariner and Billy Rafferty in the 1974-75 season.
Also, if either player manages to hit the magical 20 goal mark for the season then they will be the first Argyle player to do so since Tommy Tynan did so in the 1988-89 campaign.
ENTER ENOCH
To aid Torquay United's fight against relegation from League Two, Gulls manager Chris Hargreaves has drafted in experienced front man Enoch Showumni to boost his side's attacking options.
Showumni, 31, joins Torquay in an initial one-month loan deal from Notts County and his size, strength and know-how could turn out to be crucial in helping the Gulls beat the drop.
At Plainmoor, he will certainly be surrounded by familiar faces, as the current Torquay squad includes three of his former Magpies' team-mates- Krystian Pearce, Joss Labadie and Karl Hawley- as well as two of his ex Luton Town colleagues- Lee Mansell and Danny Stevens- and Elliot Benyon who served alongside him at Bristol City.
Standing at six feet and five inches, Showumni is certainly the tallest of Hargreaves' vailable charges. To date, he has scored 64 goals in 352 appearances in a career, which has so far seen him take in spells with Luton, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Falkirk, Tranmere Rovers and Notts County.
He has found the back of the net four times in 17 appearances for County this season, but has fallen down the pecking order at Meadow Lane of late.
A similar goal scoring return between now and the end of the season could play a major part in ensuring that the Gulls avoid a return to the Conference.
Showumni, 31, joins Torquay in an initial one-month loan deal from Notts County and his size, strength and know-how could turn out to be crucial in helping the Gulls beat the drop.
At Plainmoor, he will certainly be surrounded by familiar faces, as the current Torquay squad includes three of his former Magpies' team-mates- Krystian Pearce, Joss Labadie and Karl Hawley- as well as two of his ex Luton Town colleagues- Lee Mansell and Danny Stevens- and Elliot Benyon who served alongside him at Bristol City.
Standing at six feet and five inches, Showumni is certainly the tallest of Hargreaves' vailable charges. To date, he has scored 64 goals in 352 appearances in a career, which has so far seen him take in spells with Luton, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Falkirk, Tranmere Rovers and Notts County.
He has found the back of the net four times in 17 appearances for County this season, but has fallen down the pecking order at Meadow Lane of late.
A similar goal scoring return between now and the end of the season could play a major part in ensuring that the Gulls avoid a return to the Conference.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT ENOCH SHOWUMNI
- Far from being your stereotypical thick footballer, Enoch has two degrees. He holds an BA in Business Administration from London South Bank University, and a Masters of Science from Leeds Metropolitan University.
- Although born in London, Enoch has also been capped twice by Nigeria. Both appearances came in 2004 when he was selected for the Super Eagles in the Unity Cup against the Republic of Ireland and Jamaica.
- Despite joining Luton at the start of the 2003-04 season, Enoch didn't officially sign his first professional contract with the Hatters until February as the club were in Administration at the time. Up until that point, he had been playing on an expenses-only basis.
- In 2002, Enoch appeared in a Nike advert before the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea as a body double for former Arsenal and France midfielder Patrick Vieira.
- Another of Enoch's hobbies away from football is writing poetry, which recites live under the alias of Showman Da Poemcee.
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